No Pain No Gain
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Author:Mark Chilvers
I was born in a remand school for boys 1968 ( grandfather was the govenor ). I studied a BA(hons) in photography in the mid 90’s in Brighton after traveling round Asia for six months, this was followed by a couple of years assisting fashion photographers in London and working nights as a bar man. I currently live with my girlfriend and son in South London. Clients include: Guardian Weekend, Observer, Independent on Sunday magazine, Men's Health UK, Stern, Newsweek, Time magazine, New York Times, Oxfam, Action Aid, Red Cross.
Introduction
Boxing in the suburb of Bukom, in Ghana's capital shows the tangible fighting spirit of the area which has produced several world class boxers. For these boys and men, boxing is more than a sport. It is potentially a ticket out of poverty. The dream is to get a fight in America or Europe where the pay cheque can help to build a better future back home in Bukom, where the traditional industry is fishing, which has an annual salary of $300 approx.
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A boxer tapes up his hands before training.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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A local fisherman who has aspirations of becoming a boxer trains while his room mate sleeps.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Annor Ray, AKA Eye of the Lion in front of his poster.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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A young boxer awaits his turn during an amateur competition.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Coach Alloway outside of his gym.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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George Ashie the local boxing hero trains at Coach Alloway's gym.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Will Power gym. Bukom.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Boxing gloves and head gear are often shared as resources are limited.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Shadow Boxing.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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The writing is on the wall, No Pain No Gain.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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The main industry for the men of Bukom is fishing which earns as little as $1 per day. For some the dream of becoming a boxer is the dream of escaping poverty.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Local boxing hero George Ashie is watched by fans as he does his pad work out.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Local Boxing Hero, George Ashie in his bedroom.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Using sunken tyres as gym equipment on the beach near Bukom.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Limited equipment and resources is not used as an excuse for these men who keep themselves in peek condition.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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An outdoor boxing gym in Bukom.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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George Ashie spars in the ruins of an old building outside of his gym in Bukom.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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A boxing ring is marked out in chalk in one of Bukom's many boxing gyms.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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An amateur boxing competition in the Will Power gym, Bukom.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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A boxing ring is at the heart of many communities and when not in use is a perch for some chickens or a place to hang the washing.
Photograph by Mark Chilvers / © Mark Chilvers. All Rights Reserved.
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Displaying 4 Comments
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Added Fri, Jul 30, 2010 - 12:04 am by TL Bradley
Congrats on the feature. This is wonderful.
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Added Fri, Jul 16, 2010 - 09:28 am by Victor Acquah
One of the goals of African Lens is to serve as a platform of advocacy - for stories that need to be told. This is one of them. Hopefully, this story will generate enough interest to spur more action / help towards the street kids here.
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Added Fri, Jul 02, 2010 - 04:17 am by Thomas
What a beautiful report story !! Congratulation for your job.
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Added Tue, Jun 15, 2010 - 01:02 pm by Marcello
This is an awesome Photo story! Thanks for sharing it, currently only watched the photos, but definitely wanna read it!
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